Bird guideSooty Owl

Spends its days roosting in dense tree canopy or caves, emerging at night to hunt possums and gliders with near-silent flight.

⚠️VIC: Vulnerable; NT: Endangered
🚫Sensitive species — location data may be restricted
🍃Indigenous: Sooty Owl

At a glance

FamilyBarn-Owls
SizeMedium
RarityCommon
HabitatThis handsome species inhabits rainforest, wet eucalypt forest, and surrounding habitats.
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from January to May.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Zebedee Muller

Range map

Range map

818visible hotspots
6803visible records
2states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Its pale feet seem too large for its body. The northern subspecies is smaller and paler.

Behavior

Spends its days roosting in dense tree canopy or caves, emerging at night to hunt possums and gliders with near-silent flight.

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